Bjerken: driver charged with two counts of negligent homicide

SCOTTSDALE, ARIZ – Scottsdale Police filed two counts of negligent homicide Thursday against Andrew Whalen, 23, the driver of the vehicle that struck and killed Palmer couple Randy and Doris Bjerken as they walked down the sidewalk on Mother’s Day.

Whalen, a Scottsdale resident, who told authorities he fell asleep at the wheel, was not taken into custody.

Charges were sent to the Arizona county attorney’s office after police interviewed Whalen and witnesses.

The parents of three grown children and a 16-year-old Colony High School student, the Matanuska Assembly of God Church pastor and CHS administrative secretary were on a church retreat when they were killed.

They were walking south on a sidewalk on the west side of Scottsdale Road north of Jackrabbit Road at about 10 a.m., May 8 when Whalen drove a GMC SUV onto the sidewalk and struck the couple before hitting a power pole.

They were transported to nearby hospitals, where they were pronounced dead. Whalen was transported to a hospital and treated for non-life threatening injuries before being released.

Matanuska Assembly of God and Colony High held a joint memorial service for the Bjerken family May 13, filling the school gym with staff, students, friends, family, and church members.

A fund to help the Bjerken family with expenses has been set up at AlaskaUSA Federal Credit Union, No. 1600348.

Contact K.T. McKee at kate.mckee@frontiersman.com or 352-2252.